15 Commonly Misspelled Words among Malaysian Students

One of the major issues that Malaysian students find it difficult to master is spelling. I have to confess I had a hard time remembering spellings of English words as some are so complex and confusing but it all boils down to hard work in remembering them. 

Here's a list of 15 common misspellings done by most of my students. 

1. Definitely 

NOT definately

I wonder why so many people, even those with good English could spell 'definitely' as 'definately'. There is no A in 'definitely'. 

2. Accidentally

NOT accidently

This word is commonly misspelled as 'accidently' but accident is one of the few words which cannot be merged directly with -ly. 

Similar:
Incidentally NOT incidently

3. Judgement

NOT judgment

Some people get very confused whether there is an 'e' in judgement or not. To make things clear, we get back to the basics that Malaysia abides with UK English hence judgement instead of the US's judgment. Students in Malaysia will NOT be penalized for using both judgement and judgment but isn't it better to spell correctly?

Similar: 
Argument NOT arguement, 
Instalment NOT installment (American) 

4. A lot

NOT alot

I've seen many using the term 'alot' as if it's a single word but there is no 'alot' in English. There should be a space in between them. 

5. Maintenance

NOT maintainance

The word 'maintenance' originates from 'maintain' which carries the meaning to sustain something. However, you don't just add 'ance' to the word; you change it to 'maintenance'. 

6. Surprise

NOT suprise

I often encounter students eating away the letter 'r' to make a 'su-prise'. 

7. Pronunciation

NOT pronounciation

You pronounce a word using its pronunciation but not 'pronounciation'. 

8. Explanation

NOT explaination

When you wish to use the noun form of the verb 'explain', remove the 'i' and add 'ation' at the end. 

9. Occasion

NOT occassion or ocassion

Only one 's' is needed for occasion. 

10. Accommodation 

NOT acomodation, accomodation, or acommodation

Always remember that accommodation has two doubles, the 'c' and 'm'. 

11. Until 

NOT untill

'Till' has two 'l's but until has a single 'l'. 

12. Receive

NOT recieve

Many of my students tend to switch the place of 'i' and 'e'. 

Similar: 
Deceive NOT decieve
Perceive NOT percieve

However, achieve is different. 

13. Knowledge

NOT knowlege

Do not forget the letter 'd'. However, privilege has no 'd'. English is weird, I know. 

14. Forty

NOT fourty

4 = four
14 = fourteen
14th = fourteenth 
40 = forty
40th = fortieth
40s = forties 

15. Curiosity

NOT curiousity

You're curious but when you say curiosity, remove the letter 'u'. 

So there you go. Spelling English words the right and proper way. Good luck! 


Disclaimer: I do not label myself as an English expert but sharing also means learning. Nobody has perfect English but I believe learning knows no boundary. Feel free to correct me by commenting on my blog or Facebook posts/profile. I also welcome suggestions, ideas and any English-related info.